"She says she invented sheep in 1987 and you're violating her trademark. There's a handwritten postscript from Gregory Garvin that says something mean about your mama. What do you want me to do?"

"Send the usual response by return of post."

Dolores tapped a stamp reading "PISS OFF" into her inkpad and thunked it down on Ms. Meyrich's letter.

"Let's see...electric bill, postcard from somebody named Gervais who hopes you still remember Antwerp, an invitation to the Wet 'n' Wild Underwear Party at Cell Block–wait, that's for me– and a bill from your tailor for alterations. Oh, and Netflix sent you Emmanuelle at Stitches West."

"I don't remember putting that in my queue."

Dolores coughed. I made a mental note to change all my computer passwords.

Black Bunny Fibers is a new undertaking by a good friend, Carol, proprietress of the blog Go Knit in Your Hat. The lady has a way with fiber and she's decided to put it to good use. Wool for spinning, yarn for knitting, in colors too good to resist.

Here's what I got:

Until now, I've only spun the natural corriedale/montadale from Susan. When this slid out of the package, I couldn't resist the allure of that deep green (or the fact that she named the colorway after me) and so I pulled out a spare bobbin and got to it.

It's very different, spinning Wensleydale. The fibers are longer and silkier and not as tightly crimped. I kept thinking of mermaid hair as I was drafting. The change was mighty educational. I think I've finally grasped the differences between the woolen and worsted drafts, and I also tried spinning from the fold for the first time.

And this is what's come out so far:

I'm not in love with my spinning yet. But I'm falling hard for this fiber. Those greens, in sunlight, shine like emeralds. They're the deep, yellowy greens you find in William Morris textiles. (Excuse me as I break out in a sweat.)

I have this sinking feeling that Black Bunny is going be eating up a hefty portion of my monthly paycheck. If the damn sheep doesn't get me, the damn rabbit will.

Glencora Baby Shawl

I have finished the entire center of Glencora and begun knitting on a lace edging - Wave Lace from Heirloom Knitting. The jury is still out whether the green I picked for the edging is going to play nice with the yellow of the center. I'll post a picture later, when the edging is further along and doesn't look like an indeterminate pile of blech.

That blackbunnyfibers Carol certainly knows how to dye! I bought the charcoal sock yarn she had up (which arrived in the UK 3 days after I paid for it!) and it is the most beautiful yarn. Not sure if I can use it for socks - might have to be a scarf - yet it would make glorius socks....

Ooooh, that green looks fantastic. And that's some pretty fine spinning for not having done it long. You gotta watch out for Black Bunny- she's dangerous! (this is from experience- there are 3 rovings and a lace-weight tempting me from my counter- nevermind cooking dinner)

Thanks, babe, you are such a sweetheart. LeeAnn -- I'm on it.I was going to say that the lavender fringe on his chaps was one clue, but attendance at a gay rodeo is much less subtle. Only next time, Franklin, might I bother you to get more of his ass in the picture?

Hi Franklin,A friend is contemplating raising sheep and I mentioned the miniature sheep you had rhapsodized about on your blog. We can't find that post now. Did I hallucinate that entry? Was it just a dream?

Daisy, tell your friend to get himself to Maryland Sheep and Wool, and to visit the parade of sheep breeds, where he will see more types of sheep than are dreamt of in his philosophy. Tell him to avert his eyes as he goes in the gate, as there is usually a seller of Babydoll sheep there, and they are as cute as buttons. Otherwise, google either on Babydoll sheep or Old English Southdowns and you should find out more than you need to know about those cute things.

Also, if he's serious, have him check out the pre-festival classes on sheep care....I was going to say sheep husbandry but it sounded too kinky.

Personally, I'm thinking of bribing Dolores to swipe the finished green mermaid hair and mail it to me. I am SUCH a sucker for lovely green yarn.

I am so jealous. You are getting such good results from your spinning now. I still slub it sometimes, if you know what I mean.

Oh, and I wanted to ask a question about the link to freetobitchfreetostitch.org. Your link doesn't work--I get a cannot find server message. The bookmark I had doesn't work either. Do you know if something is up?

Copyright and Posting Notice

All original content of this blog, both words and images, is held in copyright by F. Habit. Use of any kind, in any medium, for any reason without express, prior written consent is prohibited.

Permission is not granted for the posting of any content from this site to Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, or any other Web site.

Please do not provide links to any product, service, organization or cause when leaving comments unless directly related to the topic of the post. Unsolicited advertising will be deleted and repeat offenders will be blocked.

When in doubt, please ask. I'm not mean, I'm just committed to preserving the quality of experience for my readers.